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Frank Makuch
This chapter deals with how to assess students. The first point is that a teacher should assess a student in the same way he would assess a photo album, not by looking at one photo at one point in time, but by looking through an entire album. In the same way students should be assessed at multiple stages. Also, the assessment should be structured in a way that makes sense for the topic. For example, if the goal is to assess critical thinking, the assessment should not involve multiple choice questions. It is important to make the assessment important to the student so that they see the worth in it and have motivation. The authors introduce the GRASPS framework, which is a way to frame assessments. It means assessments should have a goal, students should play a role, there should be an audience, there should be a situation that needs to be solved, students should make end products, and there should be performance standards. When dealing with assessments, it is important to give students feedback as early as possible so that they can figure out what they need to do to improve their knowledge. The chapter also discusses the importance of metacognitive learners, or learners who are able to self-assess and therefore know the expectations. In my classroom I will not judge a student by what he or she has done on a single test. Regular assessments will help me gauge where my students are at a given time and how they are coming along. This is very important to know if I want to teach effectively.
Garrett Hodgkins
This chapter, like all of the other chapters involved in this particular class’s homework involves assessing, and expands on some of the ideas read about it FiAE. It talks about some of the key principles involved in assessment, such as using a photo album to judge assessment, not a snapshot, matching the measures with the goal, and that the form follows function. It also delves into what truly understanding something is, and how to correctly assess it. Once again like previous chapters it goes into the three assessment types, summative, formative, and pre-assessments. Like previous chapters it also stresses nto giving out busy work or fluff, but calls them “inauthentic work and authentic work.” As in previous chapters dealing with assessment this particular chapter gave me more insight on how to assess correctly, as well as how to view a student who I think has mastered a particular topic. In order to correctly judge the student I cannot view a single snapshot of his work and judge whether he has achieved mastery or not, I need to look at all of his work, varying at different levels and intelligences in order to know. He has to understand and be able to express the “big idea” in a real world context. I will also work in my future classroom to provide all three styles of assesment if a fair, equal, differentiated manner, and to act upon these assessments to the best of my [[#|degree]] to improve my students learning experiences.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 5, ofIntegrating Differentiated Instruction& Understanding by Design, the authors focus on assessment. They argue that the Understanding by Design (UbD) method provides educators with a clearer picture of what to assess. Moreover, the authors stress need to steer clear of high-stakes testing, instead, teachers should adopt an approach that relies on the use of multiple, and varied, means of assessment. [[#|A quote]], used by the authors, sums this chapter up very well – “we need a “preponderance of evidence”to convict a student of learning” (Tomlinson & McTighe, p63).
I felt this chapter, and chapter 3 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal, both support the need for pre-assessments, ongoing formative assessments, and summative assessments. However, I felt the authors of this text provided more insights into ways to achieve this, for example, the “GRASPS” model. This framework for assessment recommends that teachers create assessments which include “(1) a real world goal, (2) a meaningful role for the student, (3) authentic (or simulated) real-world audience(s), (4) a contextualized situation that involve real-world applications, (5) student-generated culminating products and performances, and (6) consensus-driven performance standards(criteria) for judging success.” Of these six components the one that stood out for me was number four. This echoes the Multiple Intelligences theory that states we can only gain a clearer picture of an individual’s abilities if the assessment involves realistic and contextualized situations. As a teacher in the making, I really like the idea of using this model in the classroom as it provides me with a clear guide for how to assess students in more realistic terms.
Sean Falasca
The chapter starts off by making sure we as teachers, properly assess our students. No one assessment is going to accurately portray the learning of a class. Also, it describes that the pressures to improve tests scores are narrowing curriculum. There are a variety of assessments can be used to properly represent student learning. It’s good to assess student knowledge before, during, and after lessons in order to show growth and understanding. Also, it lets you know what emphasis to put on certain parts of you curriculum. Also, it’s important for students to be involved in making the assessments. Asking the proper questions can make a students experience and understanding so much better and easier. Making students actually learn rather than just memorize rules, dates, and formulas is a key aspect to correctly educating. Being able to break down components of a math problem and understand the functionality of each piece, understanding what a sentence is composed of and being able to use that in many different ways, and being able to explain key event in history and make underlying connection and comparisons are all signs of proper education.
I liked this chapter because I don’t remember too many times while I was in grade school that I was given pre, during, and post assessments. I will definitely implement this in my classroom to better grasp where my students are at and where I need to get to be. I can also find out what type of learners they are and I can make sure I differentiate my curriculum to suit their needs. I think I would have been a lot more engaged in class if more assessments were given out. It shows that the teacher cares and is genuinely interested in you as both a person and a learner. Knowing something from the insides out like the examples of Math, English, and History is something I think we’ve moved away from as teachers. I think this type of learning is crucial to a student’s success and should be a main focus in the classroom.
Tori Penney
Chapter 5 of UbD focuses a lot on the different forms of assessment, including---, as well as the different types of educational goals: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and dispositions. It also delves into the six facets of learning: explaining, interpreting, applying, having perspective, being empathetic, and having self-knowledge. All of these concepts combine to create mastery. This chapter encourages multiple forms of assessment, including more than just tests and essays, that way we can figure out if the students honestly have mastered these concepts of the subject. It also encourages explaining concepts in a real world way, showing students how to apply it literally, and even assessing them through a literal means. My high school geometry teacher assessed us in this way by having us group together and develop ways to build picnic tables. We planned our ideas out, chose three out of the six of the class, and then we cooperated with the shop class to build them. We sold them to raise money for our school, and in order to do this, we had to figure out how much each table cost to build and paint, and then we incorporated profit.
Another subject covered within this chapter is inauthentic vs. authentic work. Inauthentic work is just like drills, practicing math solutions, etc. Authentic work includes things such as research, debate, investigation, etc. A frame that is useful for teachers to use to make sure that work is authentic and actually useful is the GRASPS Frame, which involves 6 factors: goal setting, establishing a role for the student, and authentic audience, a real world situation in which to apply, work by students that is collective to the information, and that includes the standards for rating success. This could help a teacher such as I make sure that the work is not busy work, that it is not boring, and that it encourages actual thinking and learning rather than just practice and memorization.
Jon Delorme
Chapter 5 – Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 5 concerns student assessment and how teachers should structure their classroom around how they are going to assess their students. Jay McTighe and Carol Ann Tomlinson use the analogy of a photo album in regards to how teachers should use assessments. One picture, or one big test, is not an accurate portrayal of a person. But, many individual pictures placed together create a representation of someone’s life overtime. I think this is a great analogy for how assessment should be conducted. In high school I liked how we had multiple tests, quizzes, and projects because it took the pressure off of the assignments because they were worth less in the long run. Here in college everything is the opposite. Most of my classes in college so far have been reliant on so few assignments that each one is do or die. I would like to
structure my classroom like a “photo album.”
The rest of the chapter continues to discuss how assessment should be considered and when assessment should take place. One point that the book stressed that I agree with is that assessment should not always be taken at the end of a unit. Rather, pre-assessment and ongoing examinations should be used to keep the teacher in touch with the needs of his or her students. Another concept I really liked and will certainly be using in my classroom is the tic-tac-toe format of assessment. This is when a teacher had specific assessments in mind but then lets the student pick which one they want to do themselves. A tic-tac-toe board has three columns with nine choices. In this case each column is a different type of assessment (Written, Visual, Oral) and the student must choose one of each. I love this idea and I think my students will appreciate the choice of assessment.
Tess Perry
Once the goals and objectives are determined for a unit how to incorporate differentiated instruction must be considered. Determining exactly what is desired from students at the end of a unit is key. This chapter explained how the word ‘understand’ could have several meanings; every teacher and student can interpret it differently. Therefore by having a clear unit goal and being able to define student expectations successful differentiation will be possible. Being able to define student expectations which are what does the teacher expect students will be able to do at the end of the unit, requires clear definition of understanding. The 6 facets of understanding, explain, interpret, apply, perspective, empathy and self-knowledge, will help define student understanding. To ensure students learn and to confirm they are progressing as desired through a unit feedback should be given regularly to allow and encourage students to persevere throughout the class. I thought this chapter could be summarized with one question: How can I get all academically diverse students to arrive at the same understanding? This places focus on the end goal and allows for creative processes to get to there. The creative processes will be essential when differentiating for all the students in the class. I found the discussion on feedback to be very informative and useful. By providing regular feedback students will be able to progress and learn from mistakes or misunderstandings. I think that if enough constructive feedback is given students should have a well-estimated guess at what their final grade will be. Using regular assessments as a means for feedback I, the teacher, will also receive feedback regarding my lessons. If the students do not do well on an assessment I will need to alter my methodology to better suit the needs of the students.
Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of this chapter is how to properly go about assessing how much students know and later understand, and how to go about creating a rubric that asses each personal equally despite having different strengths in intelligences and skills. Once a teacher has answered these questions based off of the originally determined goals, they are able to focus their efforts and develop a more flexible learning plan. The chapter outlines the importance of performing ongoing assessments to track student’s progress, as opposed to a single final exam, which forces students to memorize more than understand and consider. By performing pre-assessments at the start of the year and before a new unit, the students have the opportunity to show what they might already know and where there are gaps in their knowledge. This also gives the teacher the opportunity to decide what kinds of options they want to give with assignments for students who might not require and IED, but still would benefit from alternative instruction. This is an aspect of the classroom that I really am interested in putting into effect in my classroom. The teachers that I have had in the past that took the time to assess our progress and knowledge showed a much better understanding of their functioning classroom, and in some cases were able to skim over a topic the class showed advanced knowledge in, and use that time to focus on a weaker subject. I would not just apply this to students struggling to keep up, though they would be my first focus, it would also apply to students who do not feel challenged. By knowing what standards and goals I want these advanced students to meet, I can meet with the students, their parents, and even other teachers in order to create a curriculum that meets the students intellectual needs and the required standards.
Caroline Murphy
I didn’t realize that assessment was such a layered, involved process, but I think it is extremely important to tailor assessment to our students’ individual needs the same way we do with instruction. It makes sense that the only way to get a full picture of their achievement is through several different methods, and this is a model I will take into the classroom with me in the future. The three different types of educational goals listed on page 64 were very helpful in explaining the way that different types of assessments should be specifically related to the kind of learning they are measuring. Assessment really isn’t a one size fits all component of teaching (not that any of them really are), so it was useful to see how we can put things into categories and organize them effectively. I really liked the ‘tic-tac-toe’ chart and method of allowing students to choose how they want their achievement to be measured. I always enjoyed it when teachers did this when I was in high school, and it is practice that I would like to implement in my future classroom too. I think it really gives students a chance to showcase their talents and makes something as stressful as assessment a little bit more easygoing. Even though tests and grades are essential to learning and should be handled as such, sometimes too much focus on numbers and rankings can detract from the actual knowledge and experience of creating a project or assignment for a class. Giving students more room for freedom and personal preferences in project-based assessment can allow them to get more out of the material itself, instead of forcing them to focus solely on what their grade will be.
Amy Jones
In Chapter of Understanding by Design explains the important aspects of assessments and how they should impact your classroom. The three key principals in assessment are:
Consider Photo Albums versus snapshots: This concept makes a lot of sense. When looking through albums of a person or a family you can look into their lives at different moments and see them as a whole individual. Although when you look at one photo of someone you can see how they are for just that one moment, you cannot tell what kind of person they are. The same goes with teaching. If you assess students on a regular basis you are much more likely to fully understand if that are grasping the concept. If you just assess your student at the end, more than likely the student will be overwhelmed and your results will show that.
Match the measures with the goals: There are 3 different types of goals in which we should be assessing our students:
“Declarative knowledge-what students should know and understand
Procedural knowledge- what students should be able to do
Dispositions-what attitudes or habits of mind should students display” (pg 64)
Form Follows Function:
Assessing before teaching serves such a vital purpose in creating a [[#|lesson plan]] that is personalized to their class and students. Keeping your students interacting with your unit could be made easier if positive feedback was given often which gives your students encouragement and positive reinforcement which is always good for students.
Molly Olsen
How do we know if a student has actually learned the material we taught (or which we think we taught) in class? Well the first step is in realizing that knowing about a subject and understanding it are two very different things. As it is described on page 65 "Knowledge is binary— you either know something or you don't." Knowing can be determined through true or false quizzes, but understanding would involve a student having to deeply think about a question or concept, and often would find it easier to write out their view and explain the varying parts of their thoughts. Knowledge is great, but understanding is where we should be going as teachers.
Albert Einstein said "You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." So how do we know when a student truly understands? Well, you see if they have met the six facets of understanding. Firstly, can they explain their ideas and reasonings? Can they interpret the subject and translate to someone else? Can they apply it in diverse contexts? Can they use different perspectives or explain their own? Can they display empathy, finding value in the subject? And lastly, do they have self-knowledge, meaning they can perceive and break-down the way they view things?
So, if your student has done all of these things, time to shower them with praise right? Wrong. Though praise when deserved is great, remember that they'll take you more seriously if you offer suggestions and criticism alongside the praise. Try to make the praise more specific than "good job", listing examples and pointing out aspects of the project which you felt they did well with. Students have been shown to take their projects more seriously if they feel they have something to work on, and can identify it.
Alison Hutchins
The fifth chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understand by Design focuses on different ways of assessing student learning. The idea of differentiated instruction demands that assessment of the understanding of content and skills should also be differentiated and tailored in a way that offers students a chance to really show what they know, as opposed to what they've memorized. It emphasizes that a teacher can best do this by having a clearly stated goal for the standard they are trying to reach, so that they and the student can be on the same page as to what it means to understand the content they are working on. This chapter also cites the importance of frequent assessment, to make sure that you are properly guiding the class toward this goal, and providing opportunities for assessment that may lie outside of standard testing practices.
I, personally, haven't really thought about assessing students before, but the chapter provided a lot of interesting information. I do think that it is very important to give students alternative ways to exhibit their understanding, especially students that learn in differentiated ways would definitely have a lot to gain from choosing and in a way hand crafting evidence of their understanding and skill. Providing students chances to share their understanding through projects and other alternative assessments, in my experience, keeps them more interested and invested than just answering multiple choice questions. I also would gladly implement frequent assessments, as I never before realized how important it is to properly leading a classroom toward your goal.
Table of Contents
Frank Makuch
This chapter deals with how to assess students. The first point is that a teacher should assess a student in the same way he would assess a photo album, not by looking at one photo at one point in time, but by looking through an entire album. In the same way students should be assessed at multiple stages. Also, the assessment should be structured in a way that makes sense for the topic. For example, if the goal is to assess critical thinking, the assessment should not involve multiple choice questions. It is important to make the assessment important to the student so that they see the worth in it and have motivation. The authors introduce the GRASPS framework, which is a way to frame assessments. It means assessments should have a goal, students should play a role, there should be an audience, there should be a situation that needs to be solved, students should make end products, and there should be performance standards. When dealing with assessments, it is important to give students feedback as early as possible so that they can figure out what they need to do to improve their knowledge. The chapter also discusses the importance of metacognitive learners, or learners who are able to self-assess and therefore know the expectations. In my classroom I will not judge a student by what he or she has done on a single test. Regular assessments will help me gauge where my students are at a given time and how they are coming along. This is very important to know if I want to teach effectively.Garrett Hodgkins
This chapter, like all of the other chapters involved in this particular class’s homework involves assessing, and expands on some of the ideas read about it FiAE. It talks about some of the key principles involved in assessment, such as using a photo album to judge assessment, not a snapshot, matching the measures with the goal, and that the form follows function. It also delves into what truly understanding something is, and how to correctly assess it. Once again like previous chapters it goes into the three assessment types, summative, formative, and pre-assessments. Like previous chapters it also stresses nto giving out busy work or fluff, but calls them “inauthentic work and authentic work.”As in previous chapters dealing with assessment this particular chapter gave me more insight on how to assess correctly, as well as how to view a student who I think has mastered a particular topic. In order to correctly judge the student I cannot view a single snapshot of his work and judge whether he has achieved mastery or not, I need to look at all of his work, varying at different levels and intelligences in order to know. He has to understand and be able to express the “big idea” in a real world context. I will also work in my future classroom to provide all three styles of assesment if a fair, equal, differentiated manner, and to act upon these assessments to the best of my [[#|degree]] to improve my students learning experiences.
Kiera Timme
In Chapter 5, ofIntegrating Differentiated Instruction& Understanding by Design, the authors focus on assessment. They argue that the Understanding by Design (UbD) method provides educators with a clearer picture of what to assess. Moreover, the authors stress need to steer clear of high-stakes testing, instead, teachers should adopt an approach that relies on the use of multiple, and varied, means of assessment. [[#|A quote]], used by the authors, sums this chapter up very well – “we need a “preponderance of evidence”to convict a student of learning” (Tomlinson & McTighe, p63).I felt this chapter, and chapter 3 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal, both support the need for pre-assessments, ongoing formative assessments, and summative assessments. However, I felt the authors of this text provided more insights into ways to achieve this, for example, the “GRASPS” model. This framework for assessment recommends that teachers create assessments which include “(1) a real world goal, (2) a meaningful role for the student, (3) authentic (or simulated) real-world audience(s), (4) a contextualized situation that involve real-world applications, (5) student-generated culminating products and performances, and (6) consensus-driven performance standards(criteria) for judging success.” Of these six components the one that stood out for me was number four. This echoes the Multiple Intelligences theory that states we can only gain a clearer picture of an individual’s abilities if the assessment involves realistic and contextualized situations. As a teacher in the making, I really like the idea of using this model in the classroom as it provides me with a clear guide for how to assess students in more realistic terms.
Sean Falasca
The chapter starts off by making sure we as teachers, properly assess our students. No one assessment is going to accurately portray the learning of a class. Also, it describes that the pressures to improve tests scores are narrowing curriculum. There are a variety of assessments can be used to properly represent student learning. It’s good to assess student knowledge before, during, and after lessons in order to show growth and understanding. Also, it lets you know what emphasis to put on certain parts of you curriculum. Also, it’s important for students to be involved in making the assessments. Asking the proper questions can make a students experience and understanding so much better and easier. Making students actually learn rather than just memorize rules, dates, and formulas is a key aspect to correctly educating. Being able to break down components of a math problem and understand the functionality of each piece, understanding what a sentence is composed of and being able to use that in many different ways, and being able to explain key event in history and make underlying connection and comparisons are all signs of proper education.I liked this chapter because I don’t remember too many times while I was in grade school that I was given pre, during, and post assessments. I will definitely implement this in my classroom to better grasp where my students are at and where I need to get to be. I can also find out what type of learners they are and I can make sure I differentiate my curriculum to suit their needs. I think I would have been a lot more engaged in class if more assessments were given out. It shows that the teacher cares and is genuinely interested in you as both a person and a learner. Knowing something from the insides out like the examples of Math, English, and History is something I think we’ve moved away from as teachers. I think this type of learning is crucial to a student’s success and should be a main focus in the classroom.
Tori Penney
Chapter 5 of UbD focuses a lot on the different forms of assessment, including---, as well as the different types of educational goals: declarative knowledge, procedural knowledge, and dispositions. It also delves into the six facets of learning: explaining, interpreting, applying, having perspective, being empathetic, and having self-knowledge. All of these concepts combine to create mastery. This chapter encourages multiple forms of assessment, including more than just tests and essays, that way we can figure out if the students honestly have mastered these concepts of the subject. It also encourages explaining concepts in a real world way, showing students how to apply it literally, and even assessing them through a literal means. My high school geometry teacher assessed us in this way by having us group together and develop ways to build picnic tables. We planned our ideas out, chose three out of the six of the class, and then we cooperated with the shop class to build them. We sold them to raise money for our school, and in order to do this, we had to figure out how much each table cost to build and paint, and then we incorporated profit.Another subject covered within this chapter is inauthentic vs. authentic work. Inauthentic work is just like drills, practicing math solutions, etc. Authentic work includes things such as research, debate, investigation, etc. A frame that is useful for teachers to use to make sure that work is authentic and actually useful is the GRASPS Frame, which involves 6 factors: goal setting, establishing a role for the student, and authentic audience, a real world situation in which to apply, work by students that is collective to the information, and that includes the standards for rating success. This could help a teacher such as I make sure that the work is not busy work, that it is not boring, and that it encourages actual thinking and learning rather than just practice and memorization.
Jon Delorme
Chapter 5 – Considering Evidence of Learning in Diverse Classrooms
Chapter 5 concerns student assessment and how teachers should structure their classroom around how they are going to assess their students. Jay McTighe and Carol Ann Tomlinson use the analogy of a photo album in regards to how teachers should use assessments. One picture, or one big test, is not an accurate portrayal of a person. But, many individual pictures placed together create a representation of someone’s life overtime. I think this is a great analogy for how assessment should be conducted. In high school I liked how we had multiple tests, quizzes, and projects because it took the pressure off of the assignments because they were worth less in the long run. Here in college everything is the opposite. Most of my classes in college so far have been reliant on so few assignments that each one is do or die. I would like to
structure my classroom like a “photo album.”
The rest of the chapter continues to discuss how assessment should be considered and when assessment should take place. One point that the book stressed that I agree with is that assessment should not always be taken at the end of a unit. Rather, pre-assessment and ongoing examinations should be used to keep the teacher in touch with the needs of his or her students. Another concept I really liked and will certainly be using in my classroom is the tic-tac-toe format of assessment. This is when a teacher had specific assessments in mind but then lets the student pick which one they want to do themselves. A tic-tac-toe board has three columns with nine choices. In this case each column is a different type of assessment (Written, Visual, Oral) and the student must choose one of each. I love this idea and I think my students will appreciate the choice of assessment.
Tess Perry
Once the goals and objectives are determined for a unit how to incorporate differentiated instruction must be considered. Determining exactly what is desired from students at the end of a unit is key. This chapter explained how the word ‘understand’ could have several meanings; every teacher and student can interpret it differently. Therefore by having a clear unit goal and being able to define student expectations successful differentiation will be possible. Being able to define student expectations which are what does the teacher expect students will be able to do at the end of the unit, requires clear definition of understanding. The 6 facets of understanding, explain, interpret, apply, perspective, empathy and self-knowledge, will help define student understanding. To ensure students learn and to confirm they are progressing as desired through a unit feedback should be given regularly to allow and encourage students to persevere throughout the class.
I thought this chapter could be summarized with one question: How can I get all academically diverse students to arrive at the same understanding? This places focus on the end goal and allows for creative processes to get to there. The creative processes will be essential when differentiating for all the students in the class. I found the discussion on feedback to be very informative and useful. By providing regular feedback students will be able to progress and learn from mistakes or misunderstandings. I think that if enough constructive feedback is given students should have a well-estimated guess at what their final grade will be. Using regular assessments as a means for feedback I, the teacher, will also receive feedback regarding my lessons. If the students do not do well on an assessment I will need to alter my methodology to better suit the needs of the students.
Kaitlyn Bowie
The focus of this chapter is how to properly go about assessing how much students know and later understand, and how to go about creating a rubric that asses each personal equally despite having different strengths in intelligences and skills. Once a teacher has answered these questions based off of the originally determined goals, they are able to focus their efforts and develop a more flexible learning plan. The chapter outlines the importance of performing ongoing assessments to track student’s progress, as opposed to a single final exam, which forces students to memorize more than understand and consider. By performing pre-assessments at the start of the year and before a new unit, the students have the opportunity to show what they might already know and where there are gaps in their knowledge. This also gives the teacher the opportunity to decide what kinds of options they want to give with assignments for students who might not require and IED, but still would benefit from alternative instruction.This is an aspect of the classroom that I really am interested in putting into effect in my classroom. The teachers that I have had in the past that took the time to assess our progress and knowledge showed a much better understanding of their functioning classroom, and in some cases were able to skim over a topic the class showed advanced knowledge in, and use that time to focus on a weaker subject. I would not just apply this to students struggling to keep up, though they would be my first focus, it would also apply to students who do not feel challenged. By knowing what standards and goals I want these advanced students to meet, I can meet with the students, their parents, and even other teachers in order to create a curriculum that meets the students intellectual needs and the required standards.
Caroline Murphy
I didn’t realize that assessment was such a layered, involved process, but I think it is extremely important to tailor assessment to our students’ individual needs the same way we do with instruction. It makes sense that the only way to get a full picture of their achievement is through several different methods, and this is a model I will take into the classroom with me in the future. The three different types of educational goals listed on page 64 were very helpful in explaining the way that different types of assessments should be specifically related to the kind of learning they are measuring. Assessment really isn’t a one size fits all component of teaching (not that any of them really are), so it was useful to see how we can put things into categories and organize them effectively. I really liked the ‘tic-tac-toe’ chart and method of allowing students to choose how they want their achievement to be measured. I always enjoyed it when teachers did this when I was in high school, and it is practice that I would like to implement in my future classroom too. I think it really gives students a chance to showcase their talents and makes something as stressful as assessment a little bit more easygoing. Even though tests and grades are essential to learning and should be handled as such, sometimes too much focus on numbers and rankings can detract from the actual knowledge and experience of creating a project or assignment for a class. Giving students more room for freedom and personal preferences in project-based assessment can allow them to get more out of the material itself, instead of forcing them to focus solely on what their grade will be.
Amy Jones
In Chapter of Understanding by Design explains the important aspects of assessments and how they should impact your classroom. The three key principals in assessment are:- Consider Photo Albums versus snapshots: This concept makes a lot of sense. When looking through albums of a person or a family you can look into their lives at different moments and see them as a whole individual. Although when you look at one photo of someone you can see how they are for just that one moment, you cannot tell what kind of person they are. The same goes with teaching. If you assess students on a regular basis you are much more likely to fully understand if that are grasping the concept. If you just assess your student at the end, more than likely the student will be overwhelmed and your results will show that.
- Match the measures with the goals: There are 3 different types of goals in which we should be assessing our students:
- “Declarative knowledge-what students should know and understand
- Procedural knowledge- what students should be able to do
- Dispositions-what attitudes or habits of mind should students display” (pg 64)
- Form Follows Function:
Assessing before teaching serves such a vital purpose in creating a [[#|lesson plan]] that is personalized to their class and students. Keeping your students interacting with your unit could be made easier if positive feedback was given often which gives your students encouragement and positive reinforcement which is always good for students.Molly Olsen
How do we know if a student has actually learned the material we taught (or which we think we taught) in class? Well the first step is in realizing that knowing about a subject and understanding it are two very different things. As it is described on page 65 "Knowledge is binary— you either know something or you don't." Knowing can be determined through true or false quizzes, but understanding would involve a student having to deeply think about a question or concept, and often would find it easier to write out their view and explain the varying parts of their thoughts. Knowledge is great, but understanding is where we should be going as teachers.Albert Einstein said "You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." So how do we know when a student truly understands? Well, you see if they have met the six facets of understanding. Firstly, can they explain their ideas and reasonings? Can they interpret the subject and translate to someone else? Can they apply it in diverse contexts? Can they use different perspectives or explain their own? Can they display empathy, finding value in the subject? And lastly, do they have self-knowledge, meaning they can perceive and break-down the way they view things?
So, if your student has done all of these things, time to shower them with praise right? Wrong. Though praise when deserved is great, remember that they'll take you more seriously if you offer suggestions and criticism alongside the praise. Try to make the praise more specific than "good job", listing examples and pointing out aspects of the project which you felt they did well with. Students have been shown to take their projects more seriously if they feel they have something to work on, and can identify it.
Alison Hutchins
The fifth chapter of Integrating Differentiated Instruction and Understand by Design focuses on different ways of assessing student learning. The idea of differentiated instruction demands that assessment of the understanding of content and skills should also be differentiated and tailored in a way that offers students a chance to really show what they know, as opposed to what they've memorized. It emphasizes that a teacher can best do this by having a clearly stated goal for the standard they are trying to reach, so that they and the student can be on the same page as to what it means to understand the content they are working on. This chapter also cites the importance of frequent assessment, to make sure that you are properly guiding the class toward this goal, and providing opportunities for assessment that may lie outside of standard testing practices.
I, personally, haven't really thought about assessing students before, but the chapter provided a lot of interesting information. I do think that it is very important to give students alternative ways to exhibit their understanding, especially students that learn in differentiated ways would definitely have a lot to gain from choosing and in a way hand crafting evidence of their understanding and skill. Providing students chances to share their understanding through projects and other alternative assessments, in my experience, keeps them more interested and invested than just answering multiple choice questions. I also would gladly implement frequent assessments, as I never before realized how important it is to properly leading a classroom toward your goal.